Champions League: 'I blame myself', says devastated Ziyech on heartbreaking semi-final exit
What's the story?
Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech blames himself for his side's heart-breaking exit from the Champions League on Wednesday as he lamented his missed opportunities during the second leg of their semi-final clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
In case you didn't know...
Ajax has enjoyed a fine season of scintillating football and good results as they made their way to the very top of Europe. The Dutch giants caused massive upsets by eliminating reigning European champions Real Madrid in the Round of 16 before knocking out Serie A winners Juventus in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Erik ten Hag's men walked into Wednesday's game with a one-goal advantage and looked set to secure their place in the final with a spectacular win at home in the Johan Cruyff Arena.
Matthijs de Ligt opened the scoring early in the first half before Ziyech doubled the hosts' tally before the break. The Eredivisie outfit looked well on course to fulfil their Champions League 'destiny' but was tragically undone by a spectacular hat-trick by Lucas Moura in the second half.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to Veronica after the devastating loss, Ziyech said,
"This hits us hard, really hard. I don't know how it happened. I just don't know. We knew it would be very difficult if they scored after the 2-2, but we had chances."
"I could have scored, hit the post. At least one of my chances should have gone in. Then it would have been over, but then it struck us hard.
"I blame myself for this. We gave our all. The play wasn't great, but we kept fighting. Now disappointment prevails."
What's next?
Ajax will now shift their focus to the Eredivisie where they are scheduled to play Utrecht on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur will go head-to-head with Liverpool in the Champions League final in June.